c54; 70 copies; foreign lands; 2019
foreign lands #27
a1, 4’33” (electric guitar in elevator) 04:33
a2, 4’33” (electromagnetic wave of cd player) 05:01
a3, 4’33” (contact mics under chair) 04:32
a4, 4’33” (hydrophones on walkman) 04:57
a5, 4’33” (cd through speakers) 04:55
a6, 4’33” (fast forward tape) 00:40
b1, 0’00” (as a writer) 26:07
曲目 a2-a6 使用了一张 wayne marshall 的钢琴版的《4’33”》cd，还有一盒自己复制的这个 cd 的磁带。
track a2-a6 based on wayne marshall’s piano version of john cage’s 4’33” on cd (floating earth, 1991) and self duplicated cassette tape.
recorded by yan jun on february 27, 28, and march 17, 2019 at studio h, home and in public space.
0’00’’
John Cage, 1962
In a situation provided with maximum amplification (no feedback), perform a disciplined action.
以下是2018年在洛杉矶布洛德美术馆演奏这个作品时，现场即兴写的内容：
yan jun plays john cage
(live writing; text projecting on screen while sound amplifying)
august 25, 2018
at the broad museum, l.a.
i am a writer.
i am an artist, too. an artist work with music.
but i have longer “history” of writing than practicing music.
actually i have never studied music.
my major was literature.
i was a poet before anything connected to music.
in 1996 i decided to write about music, for making money from magazines.
sorry.
i was a music critic without studying music.
about 10 years later i thought i can do it anyway.
it’s easy.
but…
that was wrong.
it’s not easy at all.
ok.
stop here.
i am a musician now, anyway.
and i am still a writer, a poet.
i’m sitting in a room now.
“i’m sitting in a room” as a.l. spoken.
not for feedback.
for writing.
about what?
i think i should write about music.
but i’m nervous now. this is not my plan.
but anyway i’d write about music.
but they said music is already dead.
i understand.
and i don’t care.
what i concern is: few days ago i heard from someone:
we don’t have to think “all the sounds are music” any more. we should think “all the music are not music” from now on.
revolution!
he is not really a musician.
ok.
i feel better now.
i write everyday.
this is not a great challenge.
the last note i wrote was:
each time i hear american speaking, i talk to myself “oh these people are trying to speak american english. and they are doing well!”
it’s about what i hear and what around. it’s not true. and it’s true for me.
so how about “no more music”?
i don’t know why he spoke that.
my understanding is of course concern john cage first. as he would grab all sounds into music.
or most of the sounds.
as there are certain sounds he really hates.
ok.. it’s not my style.
as musicians, artists, writers, we have too much.
aesthetically not balanced!
let’s give up some.
let’s take music as part of sound.
no. not part. “as sound”.
like take human as machine?
perhaps…
does android dreams electric sheep?
the fact is we dream electric sheep and everything.
we have electrons in the brain.
otherwise there is no dream, no nothing.
what is sound?
physical vibration?
vibration on eardrum?
vibration was transformed into another form: electronically.
with these signals we have sound in the brain.
that’s why we have music in dream, without any vibration.
and the vibration?
only small amount of vibration were called sound…
20-20k hz.
what is sound?
electronic activities.
that’s why i say i am machine. robot.
another part of the truth.
so does music.
music is not that important. pls!
why name everything as music? as art? why name it?
fuck cage!
sorry…
too nervous…
i should be calm.
i like cage actually.
just don’t like his new age aspect.
he has a very loud word: silence.
it’s too loud.
i think it’s better forget music for a while.
also, forget silence.
just listen to anything.
life is not that amazing.
life is boring, most of time.
be boring is nice anyway.
i don’t have any friend smiling like him. i mean, his photo.
i have to say, i’m 45 years old now.
life is not as fresh as before.
i have a lot of bad mood.
art doesn’t help.
but it’s totally ok that i have bad mood.
i enjoy it.
as enjoy life with no music.
or no good music.
you have to enjoy a lot of shit music, right?
otherwise you mute them from street?
“all music is not music but sound.”
or “music is not that important.”
or “we are soft machines.”
that sounds indifferent.
nice!
i always sleep during others’ performance.
i always sleep while listening to my own recordings.
especially when they are good.
the best audience is sleeping audience.
as the best artist is dead artist.
when you sleep you don’t listen to music.
but you still have it, into the body.
the vibration-electrons act in the body.
a basic body.
if not meta body.
no free will.
no will.
just vibrating together with the music and other sounds.
to be corrected: for this body there is no difference between music and other sound.
my experience is good music makes me sleep.
don’t know why.
maybe “ok now i have nothing to worry.”
“thanx. everything is fine.”
of course i listen to music while i’m awake.
but nowadays i really feel not possible to say what is good music.
i have went to amoeba several times.
the huge music store.
any piece of plastic shit has its place.
and waiting for someone’s love.
i was touched.
i’m not able to love everything.
it’s cold here.
as a writer it’s difficult to understand the others.
the only way is to be the other.
now i am a stupid man.
sitting in a large room where people walking around.
i knew it.
tried to prepare but still it’s different than perform in a concert hall, or a friend’s club.
but it’s fine.
life is not beautiful as i am, most of time, useless.
i’m a bit happy for knowing this.
as i’m so happy for hearing those useless sounds.
not music.
yes music is good.
i do love music. at least some of them.
but it’s not that important.
if i have a place to stay then any sound has its place.
it does not have to be music.
this is what i’m thinking recently.
i did very few but thinking, in last two months.
not really great time.
nobody buy my cd.
this makes me in a bad mood.
perhaps this is why i made a bad mood to music.
so music feels bad now.
no no, don’t.
it’s totally ok if you feel bad my friend.
i said.
this is a performance of a composition.
i do what i do everyday.
as a disciplined writer.
and a poet!
btw, i have wrote something about silence recently!
on silence
yan jun (aka luo wan xiang)
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2018.6.23
was in two months ago.
was not about “silence” but about the word.
“jijing”.
could be something related to chicken, as well.
i like this one.
i think i am a good poet.
thanx!